[Guest]

Just wanted to introduce myself and ask a couple quick questions. I just bought my first bike, a Monster 620 Dark ie (pics here). It's the first bike I've ever owned, so for now I'm just getting used to it on the sidestreets by my house. I'm not sure I have the balls to take it out in traffic yet - maybe after the safety class at the end of the month.

One question I had: I'm having a helluva time getting used to the clutch. I seem to be killing it every other stop sign. Am I hurting the bike by doing this? Should I stay off till the safety class and learn to get going on their bikes or should I keep at it on mine?

Second: how long should I be letting the bike warm up before taking it out? I've heard that it's a good idea to let it sit for ten minutes or so. I tried waiting that long, but as soon as I start it all I wanna do is hop on and take off. Should I be waiting till the 'low' indicator goes out in the digital readout?

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions once I'm able to get it above 30mph...

-Chad

 

[Hanns]

Dude! You're a Jeeper and a Monster rider? Join the club! I've got a beat to $hit '74 CJ-5 and my Ducati Red '96 Monster M900. My avatar is a pic of my bike before I stored it last fall. We'll have to hook up and go Jeepin' or Monsterin' some time.
I usually wait about 5 minutes for my bike to warm up, depending on the outside temp and how long it's been sitting. If I can feel heat off the stainless hose to the oil cooler with my bare hand a few inches away I know the engine has warmed up nicely and won't die at stoplights with the choke off. If I'm in a hurry I'll sometimes ride with the choke at partial open to keep it from dying at lights and then turn it off once she's warmed up.
I took the MSF class last fall as well. I hadn't rode for almost 10 years since I was in the military so I figured it was a good idea. I have a cute, redheaded friend who rides a black BMW who is also a MSF instructor. I can find out which classes she's teaching if you're interested.
Does your bike have a wet or dry clutch? You're not going to hurt a wet clutch by slipping it, slipping a dry clutch excessively will shorten the life of it a bit but shouldn't hurt it. My M900 has a kevlar dry clutch which is really grabby. It took a while to get used to and I still kill the bike occasionally if I have the RPMs too low on takeoff. I've gotten used to the slightly jerking feeling it has at really low speeds with the stock sprockets. Just another reason to upgrade the gearing I guess.
Welcome to the board! Good to see another Jeeper here as well. Cheers,
Hanns

 

[Monstergirl]

620 I.e. is Wet.


Clutch control can be tricky. Just ease in and out slowly. Try this... practice by letting the cluch out slow until it grabs a bit, then quickly pull it in again, don't actually go anywhere, in no time you will have mastered it. Sometimes having a hand exerciser/hand grip might work too, do the same exercise as above, hand grips are great also for reconditioning after long winters. The trick is you have to find the point at which the clutch grabs, period. Killing it is the norm at first but you will learn in time. Just try not to do that in sand, I did that when I first started out and dropped my friends Susuki.

Try practicing in a parking lot. It takes a bit of the nervousness off.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info - it's good to know I'm not doing a number on the new ride. I'll keep at it and hopefully meet up with some of you this season.

--Chad

 

[korda]

nice first bike cj. To learn the feel of your clutch, do just what monstergirl 620 said. I took the safety course 3 years ago and that's exactly what they teach you to do.

Get used to the clutch before riding around on the side streets. There is still some sand on the roads and i don't want to read you dropped it. When your confident you have the clutch down take it out and get the feel of your bike.

Your going to come out of the class glad you took it. Your gonna learn a ton since it's your first bike.

hope to see you around. stay safe.

 

[Guest]

Ok, so yesterday I took it to a parking lot for a couple hours to get a good feel for it. I think I've pretty much got the hang of it and built up a lot of confidence. After that I took a short ride around Brooklyn Park and only managed to kill it once.

This morning I rode it into work without any problems (from Brooklyn Park to Downtown Minneapolis). I'm a happy friggin camper. I rode in with my brother (on his R1) and was giggling like a little girl pretty much the whole time. It was an absolute blast!

After work (4pm - 4:30pm) I believe we'll be heading over to a place called "Bob's", somewhere near Uptown. If any of you happen to be there at the time swing by and say hello. I'll be the skinny bastard wearing the yellow shirt and huge-ass grin.

 

[Matt13]

Hey man, I saw your bike this morning. You park in the same spot as me. You should get yourself signed up for carpool. It's only 20 bucks a month to park it in there. Sweet looking bike by the way.

 

[Matt13]

I won't be able to get out of work until late. I don't even know how late yet. Sorry guys.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Matt! Work pays for the monthly parking in the garage, so parking the bike in there isn't a big deal. I'll pass it on though - I know a couple guys that are paying daily.

 

[MonstaS4]

If you think that the clutch pull is a little tough in traffic even after you get a hang of the bike, you might want to look at an aftermarket clutch slave cylinder.

 

[Guest]

Dude! You're a Jeeper and a Monster rider? Join the club!

Can I join the club?

I've got a 2001 Wrangler and this Saturday I'm trading in my 2002 Ducati 998 on a S4R (my testies will thank me!). And I live in Saint Paul.

I guess great minds do think alike!

 

[Hanns]

Welcome to the club within the club. Nothing like riding a naked bike or a topless Jeep!